According to a news release from the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, investigators received a complaint on June 30 that people in a home on Rushing Lane in Amite were keeping a 22-year-old woman locked in a cage on the property.

Investigators found a woman, 22, who suffers from autism and who was forced to live in a makeshift shelter, which consisted of a blue tarp draped over a cage "somewhat resembling a dog kennel."

"She was often locked in the cage at night in order to keep her from wondering off," the Sheriff's Office said. "Investigators said that upon speaking with her, she appeared to be malnourished and suffered from numerous insect bites."

Inside the cage was a 5-gallon bucket in which she was forced to defecate in, as well as all of her personal belongings, authorities said.

Authorities also said that the group conspired "to transport the young woman to a specific location with the intention of prostituting her out to multiple male subjects for money."

"The 22-year-old, whose name is not being released at this time, was transported to a local area hospital where she was evaluated."

The woman was placed in the care and custody of the Louisiana Department of Health, Adult/Elderly Protective Services.

In addition to the woman, four juveniles were removed from the home and placed in the care and custody of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services.

The case is ongoing and additional charges are possible.

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